Say--or Yelp--It Ain't So

Trying to live up to the motto.

I'm a regular subscriber (and occasional contributor) to Yelp reviews. I've checked out restaurants, plumbers, doctors, and just about everyone I buy from. With Yelp having such influence over consumers like me, it's no surprise that vendors are trying to game the widely used review website.

Yelp uncovered what it dubbed a "review-swapping ring" composed of members of a Los Angeles-area business networking group. Yelp said it was a coordinated effort by members to boost their ratings by posting glowing reviews about one another's businesses. [snip]

Concerns are growing about the authenticity of online ratings. People making comments often don't give their full or real names; others don't disclose their relationship with the business they're reviewing. That can allow business owners to pad their scores with rosy testimonials from friends, family, even themselves. Some pay so-called review mills to churn out positive statements. Others have trashed rivals with negative comments.

As many as 4 out of 10 online reviews are phony or biased [bold added] in some way, said Bing Liu, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago who develops software to detect fake reviews. Liu said the challenge for Yelp and other review sites is in keeping pace with the latest tactics.

"It's going to be a problem forever because the incentive is too high," he said. [snip]

To fight back against cheats, Yelp has developed sophisticated algorithms to root out phony testimonials. And it employs a team of staffers whose job it is to detect fraudsters. The company also relies on tips from its users who flag reviews that appear to be bogus. Yelp's policy also bars members of networking groups from reviewing one another because of the conflict of interest.

It's a shame but not surprising that a high percentage of reviewers have motives other than giving an honest assessment to other consumers. It's in Yelp's interest to excise the fakers. I hope that it succeeds.